Reepham Benefice

In many places in Great Britain, last weekend servicemen old and young gathered together with church members and the wider community to remember the fallen, who gave their lives in the service of their country. That poignant two minutes silence that takes place every year never ceases to move me, as I give thanks for the countless lives that have been lost throughout the world in armed conflict. The faces on the servicemen who were there tell the story, remembering friends and family, and the horrors of war.

Once remembrance Sunday is over I often sense a period of something that I can’t quite put my finger on, as we return to our normal lives. Perhaps this sense of 'jena se qua', has something to do with the emotions that have been stirred as we re-live the past, perhaps it says something about our debt of gratitude, that we feel we can barely repay, perhaps it is something to do with the reminder that God doesn’t want us to live in a way which leads to war anymore.

Whatever it is, we need to take that feeling with us as we begin our pilgrimage towards Advent, and then to the great feast of the nativity, Christmas, when we remember that “love came down”. It’s one thing to remember, and pay tribute in two poignant minutes of silent reflection, its quite another to live our lives in continual gratitude.

We will never know what went through the minds of those who, from every country throughout history have faced their own death on the battlefield. I suspect that fear played a big part, as did duty, perhaps prayer too, and thoughts of loved ones and of home. Wherever the thoughts of the fallen strayed to, if we are to truly remember them, we need to live our lives by the command of Jesus that we should love one another as he has loved us. It is only when we do this that we complete the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for us. It is only then that we become living examples of that freedom and hope that they fought for, and that love to which we are all called.